Two Maplewood favorites just teamed up for a new joint concept under one roof: Shared by Side Project and Pizza Champ (2657 Lyle). The hybrid restaurant-meets-brewery blurs the lines between to-go and dine-in service. Here’s what to know before you go.
The Concept
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In August 2020, Elmwood’s Adam Altnether and Chris Kelling created pop-up concept Pizza Champ as a way to navigate the pandemic, serving a variety of take-home pizzas from Elmwood’s space at the corner of Manchester and Sutton in Maplewood. “It was a lifeboat,” Kelling said at the time.
A year and a half later, Pizza Champ moved to an 800-square-foot building, a space that it would eventually inhabit alongside Shared, a satellite location of Cory and Karen King’s Side Project Brewing, which is conveniently headquartered across the street.
Before today, Pizza Champ was available only for pickup and drive-thru service. With the completion of the 40-seat covered patio, however, guests can now effectively dine in—albeit alfresco. Similar to Peno in Clayton, the patio is the dining room. The patio will be open air as the seasons permit, then enclosed and heated in the winter. Banquette seating is also forthcoming.
As Kelling explains, “Cory and Karen do not want this to look like your average beer hall, in terms of design and aesthetic.”
Guests can order food and beer in advance and pick it up at the drive-thru window. Those ordering at the restaurant can use a walk-up window to take home. Or if patrons choose to dine in, they can order from QR codes at their table.
The Dishes
Pizza Champ offers a selection of pizza, wings, salads, and sandwiches. The 18-inch pies are cooked in a traditional brick-lined deck oven. The dough is 100 percent sourdough, fermented for 48 hours before being stretched thin and topped with sauce, cheese, and toppings.
Pizza Champ’s specialty pies includes a Taco Pizza and a Buffalo Fried Chicken Pizza (pictured at right), both customer favorites. The White Pies section of the menu includes two pies made with a béchamel base, including the Fun Guy (with mushroom conserva, garlic, and tomato sauce on top) and When in Rome (topped with bacon, red onion, corn, potato, and rosemary).
The Red Pies section includes, among others, a classic Margherita, Heirloom Tomato and Pesto, and the Elmwood Triple Pepperoni (made with Ezzo pepperoni, the one that cups). There’s a Kid’s Cheese and an Extra Cheese, with the latter served with the sauce on top. In addition, four pizza selections are offered by the slice on the patio.
Salads include the Grilled Broccoli Caesar with fried shallots, breadcrumbs, and dill (pictured below left), as well as the renowned Pizza Champ Chopped Salad. Sandwiches include the Buffalo Chicken and Chicken Parm (pictured below right). Chicken wings are available in lemon pepper and buffalo (mild or hot).
There’s also a soft-serve machine initially serving vanilla and strawberry ice cream, available in swirls, cups, and both sugar and cake cones. (“Adam prefers the former, I like the latter,” Kelling says.) In addition, Elmwood pastry chef Sarah Osborn will create toppings that will rotate, such as Fruity Pebbles with white chocolate.
The Drinks
Shared by Side Project Brewing offers a dozen beers on tap, as well as cans on the patio and at the drive-thru. Opening draft options include Glass Key (India Pale Lager), Pillows (Pale Wheat Ale), and Maplewood’s Best (American Lager). Canned wine, canned cocktails, and nonalcoholic beverages will also be available.
“Twenty months after the origin of our pizza concept and about a year and half from the origin of the two-outlet concept, we are excited to welcome people in and show them what we are instead of continuously having to explain what we will be,” Kelling says. “It’s going to be a fun place. Fun is the goal.”
